Switching device



April 13 y 1926. 1,580,901

W. C. JONES SWITCHING DEVICE Filed May 5, 1924 lnyenfor: Warren CJa/m Patented Apr. 13, 1926.

UNITED STATES WARREN C. JONES, OF FLUSHING, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR TO WESTERN ELECTRIC PATENT OFFICE.

COMPANY, INCORPORATED, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

SWITCHING nnvron.

Application filed May 5,

To all who-m it may concern:

Be it known that I, \VARREN C. Jonas, a citizen of the United States of America, residing at Flushing, in the county of Queens, State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Switching Devices, of which the following is a full, clear, concise, and exact description.

This invention relates to voice frequency relays and particularly to such relays for controlling electrical circuits.

The object of this invention is to provide an improved relay of the character disclosed in copending applications Serial Nos. 558391, filed May 4, 1922, and 526,152, filed. December 31, 1921, which when associated with a first and second circuit, operates in response to alternating current in the first circuit to control the second circuit.

The principal feature of the invention resides in the tuned supporting members for the loose contact member, whereby less power is required to operate the contacts. 2

Other features of this invention will be apparent from the following description and detailed drawing wherein Fig. 1 shows a plan view of a voice frequency relay and circuits therefor; Fig. 2 illustrates an enlarged side View of the circuit controller and the tuned supporting members partially in section; and Fig. 3 shows a sectional view of another form of voice frequency relay together with a schematic drawing of the first and second circuits.

Referring to Fig. 1, 10 indicates a vibratory reed clamped at one end in a slot in a soft iron ock 11 fixed at one end to a permanent magnet 12, the other end of the magnet 12 having polar extensions 40, which, in turn, are attached by means of the screws 11 to cores 13 of electromagnet coils 1s. The free end of the vibratory reed or armature extends between and beyond the pole faces of the cores 13 and has attached thereto a socket 15 which holds the tubular sealed receptacle 16 containing the circuit controlling device.

A preferred form of the circuit controller carried by the reed 10 is illustrated in Fig. The circuit controller comprises a sealed tubular shaped receptacle 16, having .leading-in and supporting members 20, of plati num or other suitable material to which a local circuit may be connected. The loose 1924. Serial No. 711,037.

metallic member 17 contained in receptacle 16 is provided with bored out cavities 18 at each end to provide contacting and supporting surfaces 22 which engage the supporting members 20. At the bottom of the cavities 18 insulating discs 19 are tightly fitted so as to prevent contacting ofthe extreme inner ends of the members 20 with member 17 at the bottom of the cavities.

lVhen the reed 10 is at rest the action of gravity holds the member 17 in the position shown in Fig. 2, and since the contacts 22 are closed the leading in members 20 are electrically continuous. lVhen the reed is vibrated in a manner such as to produce an acceleration greater than that due to gravity the member 17 will be violently agitated and the electrical continuity of contacts 22 and the leading members 20 will be broken;

N otches 27 are cut in the supporting members 20, as near the glass seal as practicable, to give increased flexibility to the inner ends of the supporting pins 20 and by regulating the depth of the notch these supporting members are made resonant to the frequency of the driving current source 24 thereby causing a satisfactory interruption of the contacts 22 by reed vibrations of less amplitude than would be required with non-rest nant supporting members.

Referring to Fig. 3, which illustrates another form of a voice frequency relay, 33 designates a casing preferably of insulating material within which is located "a semi-circular permanent magnet 34, to the opposite poles of which are secured polepieces 35, 35 carrying windings 30, 30 and having their pole faces 36, 36 located adj acent to the diaphragm 28, which is clamped to the casing 33 by means of a cap 37 of in sulating material. Mounted on and suitably fixed to the diaphragm by means of a socket 15 is a tubular sealed receptacle 16 shown in more detail in Fig. 2 and previously described. The socket 15 may be spot welded or otherwise suitably fixed at its midpoint to the center of the diaphragm. The diaphragm 28 should, of course, be of a suitable magnetic material.

The operation of the relay shown in Fig. 1 is as follows: When switch 23 is closed alternating current from the source 24 is applied to the winding of the relay causing the reed 10 to vibrate in accordance with the frequency of the applied current. When the reed 10 starts to vibrate the inner ends of the supporting members 20 also start to vibrate, thereby causing the contact between the loose member 17 and the supporting members to be broken and a consequent opening of the local circuit containing relay 21, which circuit, when the reed is at rest, is completed from battery B through the supporting members 20 and the loose contact member 17. VJ hen the switch 23 is opened the reed 10 comes to rest and contact member 17 due to the force of gravity closes the local circuit once more.

It is, of course, obvious that this relay may control any desired circuit such, for example, as an automatic selector switch circuit. In this case the current supplied from source 24 for operating the relay is interrupted in any suitable manner as by an impulse sender 26. to give any desired number and character oi? impulses to control the setting of the selector switch.

In a similar manner a train of vibrations may be set up in the diaphragm 28, in Fig. 3, by means of any suitable switch 29 and impulse sender 32 thereby causing alternating current from source 31 to be interruptedly applied to the conductors 38 and thence through the winding of coils 30. These trains of alternating current impulses cause the circuit controller 17, Fig. 2, to control the local circuit as previously described.

It should be understood that means other than a notch as, for example, adjusting the length of the pins may be employed for tuning the supporting members 20.

What is claimed is:

1. A vibrating element and a circuit controller controlled thereby, said circuit controller comprising a loose member and a pair of tuned supporting members therefor.

2. A vibrating element, a circuit controller controlled thereby, said circuit controller comprising a loose apertured member and a pair of tuned supporting members therefor in fixed relationship with the vibrating element and engaging the apertures in said loose member,

3. In a switching device, the combination of an electromagnet, a vibratory device OPQI': ating in response to alternating current supplied to said electromagnet, a sealed receptacle mounted on said vibratory element, leading in terminals extending into said receptacle, and a metallic member contained in said receptacle loosely engaging said leading in terminal extensions, said leading in terminal extensions being tuned to the frequency of said alternating current.

4. A relay device for the reception of alternating current impulses comprising a vibratory body adapted to be set in motion by said impulses, a pair of electric contacts, one of said contacts being fixed to said body, and an electric circuit normally closed through said contact but broken upon movement of said vibratory body in response to said alternating current, said fixed contact being tuned to vibrate with respect to said vibratory body in response to said alternating current impulses.

5. In combination a vibratory armature, means for vibrating said armature at its natural frequency, a plurality of contact members mounted on said armature and tuned to vibrate at the frequency of said means, a circuit connected to said contact member, and a loose metallic member normally engaging said contact member but disconnected therefrom upon response of said armature and said contact members to said periodic means.

6. A vibrating member and a circuit controller operated thereby, said circuit controller comprising an apertured member and a plurality of tuned members for engaging said apertured member.

7. A vibrating member and a circuit controller operated, thereby, said circuit controller comprising a plurality of tuned members and another member for engaging the ends of said tuned members.

8. A vibrating element and a circuit controller operated thereby, said circuit controller comprising a pair of notched members and a member loosely engaging the ends of said notched members.

9. The combination of a first and second circuit, a circuit controlling means with contacts therefor operated by said first circuit, said circuit controlling means being associated with said second circuit and comprising a plurality of notched members and another member for engaging'said notched members, the size of the notches in said last mentioned members determining the frequency of the driving force of said first circuit for opening the contacts of said circuit controller to which said circuit control ling means will respond.

In witness whereof, I hereunto subscribe my name this 28th day of April, A. D., 1924-.

VVARREN C. JONES. 

